From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Non-possessors (Russian: нестяжатели,
nestyazhateli) belonged to a 16th-century movement in the
Russian Orthodox Church in
opposition to ecclesiastical land-ownership. It was led by Nil Sorsky and later Maksim Grek
and others and was opposed to the "Possessors" led by Joseph Volotsky
(they are also known as the "Josephites" for this reason) and later
Archbishop Feodosii II of Novgorod. It was finally defeated at the
Stoglav Council in 1551.[1]

The non-possessors are similar to other movements in
Christianity, the Spiritual Franciscan for example, in that they
believed that ownership of land and the Church's possession of
wealth in general had corrupted the church. The non-possessors
(nestyazhateli) also believed that the Church should not forcibly
convert or persecute heretics or pagans, but should patiently work
to convert them to the true faith.